How to Use the OneDrive app in Canvas to Insert Files into a Course
Before you begin...
Using the OneDrive app in Canvas is a great way to insert Microsoft OneDrive files directly into your Canvas course. Inserting files with this method is ideal when you're an course facilitator sharing non-editable content with participants such as worksheets, assignment templates, or presentations. If you're wanting to share editable files with students, consider using a sharing link to share files. Use the FAQ at the bottom for any questions and email software@uiwtx.edu for further inquiries.
For the safest experience, please make sure you're using either Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome as your web browser.
Step 1
Login to Cardinal Apps and open Canvas LMS
Step 2
Navigate to the space/page where you'd like to embed your Stream video into and open the Rich Content Editor (RCE).
Step 3
Find the and click on the OneDrive icon ().
If it's not present in the toolbar, click on the Plug () icon to find it in the drop-down menu. If you still cannot see it (pictured below) choose 'View All', find 'Microsoft OneDrive' on the list and select it.
If you recently used the app, it'll be pinned in the drop-down menu as shown.
Step 3a
If you've never used the OneDrive app in your Canvas course, you'll see a 'Setting up the course' notice. After a few moments, you'll be asked to login with a Microsoft (UIW) account.***
Choose your UIW email address option to complete the process, or, If prompted, login with your UIW email and password.
***If you do not receive a pop-up and/or redirect to login, your browser might've blocked it. Please use Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge.***
Step 4
A window with your OneDrive files will show.
- Find and click on the file you'd like to link or embed in your course. This will highlight the item to let you know it's selected.
- Click on the 'Link' or 'Embed' button to insert the file into your course via the method chosen
- See the FAQ section below to learn about the differences between the two insertion methods
Done! After a few moments, your file is now linked to or embedded into your Canvas course, and you may save your content and close the editor. View the FAQ section to learn more about this process.
FAQ
How does this OneDrive app work?
The OneDrive app in Canvas makes a copy of the files you choose to link/embed into your course. Once inserted, you can think of these are separate copies from the original found in your OneDrive.
What do I do if I want to update a file I inserted into my course?
There are a few options available to you:
- Open the file from Canvas (not OneDrive) as a teacher and edit the file accordingly.
- Remove and re-insert the updated file.
What's the difference between 'Link' and 'Embed' and which method is recommended?
Links are recommended for most use cases as they will open the file in a new tab. This is a great way for participants to avoid any browser-based issues that can arise when using an embed. The differences between the two are as follows:
- Link: This creates a link to the file in the body of your text.
- Embed: This method creates a window where the user
How do permissions work when embedding videos in this method?
When embedding documents and videos through the OneDrive app in Canvas, the video looks at the viewer's account that's logged into Canvas.
- If it's a Student - that person will only have 'view-only' permissions.
- If it's an instructor - that person will have 'edit' permissions.
Where can I adjust permissions for my linked/embedded files?
When inserting files into Canvas through this method, you cannot adjust the default permissions for content. Students are 'view-only' and Instructors have 'edit' access.
Can students edit and share files shared this way?
No. Though the share button will be available to them, the link they can create is set to 'People with existing access', which means only the people within the course could view it.
I deleted/moved the file in OneDrive to a new location, will that ruin the existing embed?
No.
If I make any changes to the original file found in my OneDrive, will that update or change the Canvas copy?
No. When you inserted the file into Canvas, the OneDrive app made a copy so it needs to be edited or updated by opening the link from its' location in Canvas.
If I want to reuse a course shell, do I have to insert all these files once again?
No! One of the benefits of using the OneDrive app is the support for the course copy function. If your course is copied forward, your inserted file links and embed will move forward with it.